PhilStar's Class over Crass

[yebo]

e yun ngang khaos stc wala kahit isang bad review either from print and tv! what do you expect from paid mercenaries, they'll say and print what the manufacturers/dealers tell them to say and print. those people are nothing but advertising copy writers masquerading as journalists.

[nicolodeon]

We might be in for a surprise: I fear that many of our so called motoring journalist might have either little knowledge on automotives as I do or maybe even less than what I know.

Yikes!

I'm just curious on how the editors-in-cheif of these dailies pic their reporters for, say, automotive or technology. Do they just randomly pic from one of the cub reporters (AFAIK this happens a lot in the journalism world) with the understanding that they should learn as they progress, or do they check the background of reporters to identify if they even know the difference between a crankshaft and a valve-train.

[BlueBimmer]

isa lang nasa isip...sayang ang free drives, free lunch/dinner, free trips etc. oh and sayang ang advertising income from the car manufacturers

[mazdamazda]

Here's some of the text messages that they got from the class / crap article:

Don’t compare yourself with others. Just go on writing the way you write — simple, honest, relevant, to the point and hard hitting (at times). — Cris Lara

How to improve? Simple enough. I’ve never seen a failing grade for a car evaluated by motoring journalist in the Philippines. — 09206221103

Be as professional as you can be. Keep your pride. We have our own class as Filipinos. Keep it up and keep your heads up! — Ian, Cavite

What that grammatically challenged chap probably meant was that very few local motoring journalists give unbiased, non-car company junket tainted car reviews. — 09178888800

No need to emulate the Americans or the Europeans. We have a different culture and different motoring needs. In my opinion the local motoring press is doing a fine job. — 09194117916

Regarding Mr. Magsajo’s column, that person probably meant that you guys do an independent technical evaluation of vehicles featured and not sound like you’re just reading specs off a handout. Thanks. — 09196776327

[Galactus]

Somebody makes a valid criticism about motoring journalists here in the Philippines, and the columnist attacks his/her grammar or writing style, and dishes out a crash-course on proper syntax...a typical response of a guilty person.

But have you actually read a no-nonsense, unbiased review recently? Especially if the car is manufactured by a major manufacturer. I remember that I always used to laugh (and cringe) during the Q&A portion of Auto Focus, when they invite motoring journalists as hosts. It was apparent that certain hosts are mere talking heads, couldn't even speak English properly, yet pronounce certain words with a twang. And they always ended their spiel with "I hope that answers your question. Thanks for writing." Yuck!

[morrissey_05]

that's why i don't read local reviews. and i don't approve of them. once a so-called "motoring" columnists starts talking about the good points of a new car model, i read the other stuff.

i mean, how many times will an individual change cars, much less buy a new one? once? twice? if they are really rich, thrice? so i think there is not much use for automotive reviews.

what motoring journalists should be writing about are issues concerning motoring like road safety, government policies affecting, what local government shld do abt our crappy roads, etc.

halatang-halata na agenda ng mga motorcing journalists natin.

[OTEP]

Here is a typical U.S. review of the Kia Sorento V6. It highlights the good and the bad points [plus second opinions from other staffers via the 'counterpoint' segment] of the product being reviewed. It doesn't seem like bashing to be, I don't find any crass in it. I wish local reviews were more like this:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...orento-ex.html

[basti08]

sir OTEP,

one of the most reliable source talaga ang Car and Driver.... their comparison test is one of the best IMO. avid reader since 93 pa ako ng C/D. too bad hirap na makahanap ng copy ngayun sa mag stores dito. kaya sa net na lang ako tingin.

[OTEP]

I've never missed an issue of C/D since '92. That's also our reference material of choice when looking reviews for prospective pre-owned vehicles. May archive dito sa bahay. But the oldest issue I have is an '85, I think.

[basti08]

wow!!! 1985 pa, mas matanda pa sa aken!!!

ako December 1993 ang oldest issue ko... Mustang GT Vs Camaro Z28 on the cover.

madame na rin ako nabibiling iba...pero iba ang C/D eh...

they are not afraid in rating cars sa comparisons. sayang namatayan sila ng magaling na tester si Don Schroeder.... since then yung mga topspeed nimbers nila, usually estimates na lang.

[OTEP]

Maybe local journalists need to read C/D. Yun talaga ang benchmark ko. They have been one of the biggest magazines since 1955 (then known as Sports Car Illustrated). They don't even need Jeremy Clarkson antics to deliver their point. They manage to be informative and entertaining at the same time.

[slamtaz]

I have a very good friend who's into car reviews as a hobby more than anything else really-he once got a lot of heat for making a bad review about a certain tri-star japanese brand and they banned him from testing their vehicles for the better part of a year. He says there are two main reasons why motoring journalists don't put down anything bad, especially in the dailies.

1. The said manufacturer WILL pull out all current ads for their brand if they do.
2. No future ads for an indefinite period of time.

Since ads are the lifeblood of newspapers and at the end of the day the journalists do still work for the daily, they cannot do anything that will jeopardize their source of income or risk getting axed.

eto pa malaking factor:
Mahirap kasi baka mabugbog e! hehehehe

hmmm... gives me the impression that local auto reviewers are very much like puppets on strings and in a similar fashion, they're like parasites that feed on & attach themselves to the car manufacturersl. As puppets, they can't cut the strings or they become inanimate and as parasites, they won't survive if they were to kill their life source. dang... one simple flagrant case is that of the innova d4d!!! almost always downplayed or never even mentioned by any local reviewer that i know of... these local reviewers aka journalists are remiss on their social responsibility to the consuming public in exchange for their own survival.. :swear:

[OTO]

I trust the boys & girls of Top Gear & Fifth Gear. They talk about the car from a driver's point of view and the point of view of the public.

Like people shouldnt get the F430 convertable cause most owners are balding, old and over the hills. Rarely do you find a fit young man behind the wheel. Which is true in the Philippines.

[basti08]

OA si Jeremy Clarkson!!! magsama sila ni Simon Cowell....

gusto ko si Vicky at Tiff (Nidell) ng dating Top Gear.... sila na ata yun nasa Fifth Gear eh...


Hot chick si Vicky sa race course, gusto kong makipag karera sa babaeng yon!!!
nakaka turn on talaga sya mag maneho.

[nugundam93]

hahahaha naalala ko yung race ni vicki at tiff where tiff drove an audi quattro while vicki drove an evo6. ginulangan ni tiff si vicki by cutting a corner to overtake her, so vicki did the same to tiff the next lap, and taunted him pa. of course, vicki won as well. :D

she's hot. heheh...